Ford, who was first elected to the City Council in 2000, was elected the 64th mayor of Toronto in 2010. In September 2014, he was diagnosed with pleomorphic liposarcoma, a rare form of soft-tissue cancer. The diagnosis came amid a heated re-election battle, which forced him to withdraw his candidacy for a second term in January 2014.

By last September, he declared himself cancer-free and appeared alongside Stephen Harper during the federal election. However, in October, new tumors were found and chemotherapy began again.